Experiences with
Oral thrush (mouth thrush)Check if it's oral thrush
When you have oral thrush, your mouth is red inside with white patches.
When you wipe off the white patches, they leave red spots that can bleed.
Other symptoms in adults are:
- cracks at the corners of the mouth
- not tasting things properly
- an unpleasant taste in the mouth
- pain inside the mouth (for example, a sore tongue or sore gums)
- difficulty eating and drinking
Oral thrush in adults is not contagious.
Babies
A baby with oral thrush will have a white coating on their tongue. It may look like cottage cheese and it cannot be rubbed off easily.
Sometimes there are white spots in their mouth.
Babies with oral thrush may not want to feed.
Babies can pass oral thrush on through breastfeeding. This can cause nipple thrush in mothers.
Treatment for oral thrush
A GP can prescribe antifungal mouth gel to treat oral thrush.
- if you think you or your child might have oral thrush
How you can prevent oral thrush
Oral thrush is an infection caused by a fungus called Candida. Some things can make the fungus grow more than usual.
You might get thrush if you're:
- taking antibiotics over a long time
- using asthma inhalers
- having cancer treatment like chemotherapy
There are some things you can do to help prevent oral thrush.
take care of your teeth: brush twice a day, clean your dentures, and go for regular check-ups even if you have dentures
brush your gums and tongue with a soft toothbrush if you do not have any teeth
rinse your mouth after eating or taking medicine
go to regular check-ups if you have a long-term condition like diabetes
sterilise dummies regularly
sterilise bottles after each use
do not wear dentures at night
do not keep wearing dentures if they do not fit properly – see your dentist
do not smoke
Symptoms of oral thrush include white spots or patches on your tongue, inside your cheeks, and on your gums and throat.
Oral thrush is usually treated with an antifungal mouth gel.
You can lower the chances of getting oral thrush by taking care of your teeth and gums and by regularly sterilising your baby’s dummy and bottle.
Related links
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